Short-term rentals in Santa Rosa: the local rules

Each rule below links to the section of the Santa Rosa Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (extracted October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Santa Rosa's code says

Santa Rosa code What Santa Rosa's code adds
Allowed	Yes, hosted short-term rentals are allowed with a Short-Term Rental Permit. Applies: In all city zoning districts. § 20-48.040 · code text Hosted Short-Term Rentals are allowed with a Short-Term Rental Permit in all City zoning districts. No new non-hosted short-term rental permit applications are accepted. Applies: Existing permits only, in listed zones such as RR, R-1, R-2, R-3, Residential PD and TV-R. Not allowed in other zones. § 20-48.040 · code text Non-Hosted Short-Term Rentals are allowed with a Short-Term Rental Permit in the Core Mixed Use (CMU), Station Mixed Use (SMU), Maker Mixed Use (MMU), and Neighborhood Mixed Use (NMU), Rural Residential (RR), Single-Family Dwelling (R-1), Residential Planned Development (PD) where not explicitly prohibited, Medium Density Multifamily Residential (R-2), Multifamily Residential (R-3), Transit Village Residential (TV-R), Office Commercial (CO), Neighborhood Commercial (CN), Community Shopping Center (CSC), General Commercial (CG), and Transit Village-Mixed (TVM) zoning districts.
Cap on rentals	No cap on the total number of permits. Applies: For hosted short-term rentals, citywide. § 20-48.040 · code text Short-Term Rental Permits may be issued for Hosted Short-Term Rentals citywide with no cap on the total number issued. At most 1 hosted short-term rental per owner. Applies: Within city limits. § 20-48.040 · code text A Short-Term Rental Owner may maintain a maximum of one Hosted Short-Term Rental within city limits. At most 182 non-hosted short-term rental permits citywide. Applies: No new applications are accepted. The number falls as permits are vacated or revoked or properties are sold. § 20-48.040 · code text The maximum number of Short-Term Rental Permits issued for Non-Hosted Short-Term Rentals shall be 182 citywide. At most 1 non-hosted short-term rental per owner. Applies: Within city limits. Owners with more than 1 permit on August 24, 2023 may keep them while in good standing. § 20-48.040 · code text A Short-Term Rental Owner may maintain a maximum of one Non-Hosted Short-Term Rental within city limits.
Permit or registration	A Short-Term Rental Permit from the Director is required before renting, offering or advertising. § 20-48.040 · code text A Short-Term Rental Permit issued by the Director is required prior to renting, offering, or advertising a Short-Term Rental within the City.
Primary residence	Yes, for hosted rentals. Applies: The host lives and sleeps in the unit, or another legal unit on the parcel, during the rental. One unit is the owner's principal residence. § 20-48.040 · code text All applications for a Hosted Short-Term Rental Permit shall require the submittal of an affidavit documenting that the Host lives and sleeps in the Dwelling Unit or lives and sleeps in another legal Dwelling Unit on the same parcel, one of which is which parcel is the Owner's principal residence as defined herein, throughout the Short-Term Rental period, as defined in Section 20-48.030.

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Can I rent out my home short-term in Santa Rosa?

Santa Rosa's code: Yes, hosted short-term rentals are allowed with a Short-Term Rental Permit. (In all city zoning districts.) (§ 20-48.040); No new non-hosted short-term rental permit applications are accepted. (Existing permits only, in listed zones such as RR, R-1, R-2, R-3, Residential PD and TV-R. Not allowed in other zones.) (§ 20-48.040).

Short-term rentals in Santa Rosa

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